Storing of gases under pressure.



' compressing o r Ypumping iteis required to store the gas and the method- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

` ARTHUR STEPHENSON, 0F LAMBETH, ENGLAND, .AS-SIGNOR T0 AGETYLENE ILLUMI- NAJrINcr` coMrANY, IEIMITED, or LAMBETH, ENGLAND-- s'ronmc or GAsEsUNDEn rnnssunn. i'

Specication off-Letters Patent.

yPatentedJ une 19, 19.17.

Application led November 7, 191e. -Serial No. 130,083.l

have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in or Relating to the Storing of Gases Under Pressure, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the storing of gases in cylinders or other receptacles or chambers that contain a solvent, solvents or other absorbent material for the said gases. The invention is particularly although not exclusively applicable to the filling or storing of acetylene under pressure in cylinders or other receptacles containing acetone or other suitable solvent or absorbent material such as carbon or charcoal which is sensitive in its power of solution or absorption to temperature and to pressure. In the charging or lling of these'cylinders as at present carried into practice the gas is produced at a comparatively low pressure (usually less than 2 atmospheres absolute) and is forced under increased pressure into the cylinder by a compressor or pump. The process of to the increased pressure required and the absorption of -acetylene by the. solvent is attended by an appreciable productionfof heat. 1n' order to remove the maj or portion of the heat generated in compreion, the process of compreion is accomplished in stagesand means are adopted for removing as much heat as possible between the respective stages ofv` compression, the number of stages being'den ent upon the ultimate pressure to which employed for removing the heat. The maximum. sto'ragepressure of acetylene in` cylinders at present allowable in Great Britain 1s `one hundred and fty pounds per square inch although the maximum pressure vallowed in some' countries is as hi h as fifteen atmospheres. The time occupied for the Acharging of cylindersby the aforesaid method is considerable and varies with the power n sd-wd by the solvent or absorbent material at any particular temperature and pressure. The solvent or absorbent power increases with increase in pressure but decreases with increase in temperature. Hence -it be seen that any increase in temperavthan the said ultimate pressure.

of solution, absorption or, occlusion.

ture of the cylinder or the contents thereof such as results from'the gas having been insuiiciently'cooled during compression, from a high atmospheric temperature, from the generation of heat when the gas is absorbed or taken into solution or Jfrom any other cause, militates appreciably against any reduction in the time required for the filling or charging operation and enhances the liability to explosion or dissociation of the gas under pressure.

According to the present inventionthese disadvantages are avoided by subjecting a receptacle containing a solvent or absorbent material to a temperature considerably below normal and in connecting the said receptacle with a compressor, pump, accumulator or equivalent apparatus adapted to supply the gas at a pressure which may be approximately equal to or greater than the ultimate. pressure desired or allowed in the receptacle but which may if desired be lower In Vone method of 'carrying this invention into prac? v tice the receptacle is subjected to a temperature at-or below that at which the gas becomes liquid when subjected to the pressure -adopted or required. For example with acetylene it has been found that by compressing the gas' up to a pressure of one hun-4 dred and fifty pounds per square inch and adjusting the temperature as applied 4to the storage receptacle, to between 5 F. and

--10 `F., a 'receptacle havinga capacity of 2i cubic feet can be charged in from B'to 5 minutes and onehaving a capacity of 200 cubic feet can be charged in about 90 minutes. Receptacles of these capacities would each take about three`days to charge by the methods heretofore employed. a Means are adopted for determining the volume or amount of gas delivered tothe receptacle so that the amount of the charge can be governed or limited.' When the receptacle is to be fully charged this volume or amount will be such that when that-.emperature of the receptacle is restored to normal atmospheric (other eential conditions having been ob-` served), the pressure under which the gasV shall be stored within the receptacle will be the pressure allowed or desired. It will be understood that such conditions varywith the gas under treatment, the nature of the solvent or absorbent material, the pressure allowable and the normal 'atmosphericl teml110 I brine solution in contact with the cylinder perature forv the time of the year and for the 4geographical location. It is to be undery In'the accompanying drawing, Figures 1,

2 and 3 show in a purely diagrammatic manner dierent forms of apparatus that may be employed for carrying the method of charging into efect, and Fig. 4 is a fragmental diagrammatic view illustrating the position of the separator.

of supply of the gas, B a portable cylinder -to be charged and b the pipe leading from thetsource of supply to the cylinder. C is the aforesaid compressoror pump. In Fig. 1 the cylinder B is placed in a chamber I) containing 'the cooling medium connected to a suitable refrigerating apparatus (indicated atE) of any suitable or well known type, the outlet valve or cock of the cylinder being opened for admitting the gas from the pipe b connected thereto. In Fig. 2 the cylinder with its valve open or removed is placed within an inner chamber D con.- nected to the pipe b so that 4this chamber contains at atmosphere of the gas to be charged.l The arrangement shown in Fig. 2

would not be used when-the pressure andA temperature are such as to liquefy the gas. If desired the refrigerating apparatus may be so constructed as to cool the gas prior to its entry into the cylinder or chamber, forexample by passing the pipe b through the chamber as indicated by broken lines, by a self intensive or other known or suitable method. It will be clear that more than one cylinder or other receptacle can be charged at the same time either from one or several compressors. .In Fig. 3`the expansion coils of the refrigerating apparatus are arranged within the chamber vD which contains a B. A pump or circulator F serves to keep the brine solution in motion. In another arrangement the chamber D may be dispensed with and the expansion coils of the refrigerating apparatus be situated within' the chamber D which contains an atmosf phere of the gas; in this case not only is the gas cooled prior to its entry into the cylin der, but the gas itself ,in the chamber D serves as the medium for lcommunicating the cold from the refrigerator to the c linder. When refrigerating apparatuso the compound 'type is employed the early stages In this drawing A represents-the.sourceof the refrigerating process may be employed in refrigerating the cylmder and 1ts contents and also if desired the supply plpe,

While the nal stages are employed solely l 'forliquefying or assisting to liquefy the gas; or conversely the early stages may be employed for liquefying or assisting to liquefy the gas and the final stages employed for refrigerating the cylinder and its contents. In a slightly modified' method the refrigerating plant may be used only for Y liquefying the gas prior to its entry `into the receptacle, the conversion of the liquid into gas during its entry intothe receptacle being relied on to reduce the receptacle and the s olvent or absorbent material .to the desired low temperature.

It will be obvious that the improved method apart from diminishing the dangers attending the charging of the cylinders, also results in a great saving in expense from considerations of the great reduction of-time required for charging.

In a-further slightly modiiedmethod the cylinder or other receptacle which may or may not contain solvent or absorbent material, instead of being supplied with gas directfrom the source of supply may be connected 'to an'accumulator chamber which -is subjected to low temperatures as aforesaid and which contains solvent or absorbent ma? terial. The cylinder'or other receptacle also preferably'gbut,not` necessarily subjected to low temperatures and when the pressure therein reaches the desired .amount upon the .accumulator chamber and its contents returning to normal temperature or being heated to beyond normal temperature, the

receptacle is disconnected from the accumulator chamber. T he pressure at which the gas is supplied to the said chamber may be high as aforesaid or it may be below the pressure at lwhich the gas will be stored in the receptacleJ at normal temperature. Two

' or more of the said accumulator chambers may be used and may'be caused to operate alternately or in succession.

A suitable separator may beprovided in any position between the source of supply and the storage receptacle, for the extraction or removal from the gas, prior to its entry into the storage receptacle, of impurities of higher boiling points such as moisture l or ammoma gas. Y

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the separators may be located between the source of supply of gas A andthe compressor or pump C,

so that as the gas passes to the pump, the impurities of higher boiling point than the gas itself will be extracted. Of course, it is to be understood that it is only important that this separator be located between the source and the receptable to be filled and not in any particular relation to the pump.

In cases where the gas is supplied to the receptacle at a lower pressure than the ultimate pressure desired or allowed in s he rcceptacle, the supply pressure need not of necessity exceed the comparatively low pressure at which the gas is generated. In this case it is possible to charge the receptacle without the necessity of using a compressor by merely connecting the receptacle to the source of supply, if desired however a low pressure pump or centrifugal fan may be used.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is r l. The method of storing under pressure gases which are absorbed'with appreciable production of heat, which comprises introducing the gases into a receptacle containing a solvent or absorbent substance, abstracting the heat of absorption and maintaining the receptacle and its contents at a temperature considerably below normal during the absorption.

2. A method of storing gases under pressure, consisting in subjecting a receptacle containing a solvent or absorbent substance or material to a temperature considerably below normal and in supplying the gas to the said receptacle at a pressure not greater than the ultimate pressure to be obtained in the receptacle when the latter and its contents return to normal atmospheric temperature.

3. The method of storing underpressure gases which are absorbed with appreciable production of heat, which comprises compressing the gases, introducing the compressed gases into a receptacle containing a solvent or absorbent substance, abstracting the heat of compression and the heat of absorption of the gases and maintaining the receptacle at a temperature considerably below normal.

4. A method of storing gases under pressure, consisting in subjecting a receptable containlng a solvent or absorbent substance or material to a temperature considerably below normal, and in supplying the gas to the containing a solvent or abso'r nt substance- 55 or material to a temperature considerably below normal, and in cooling the gas prior to its entry into the receptacle.

6. A method of storin gases under pressure, consisting in lique ying the gas prior to its entry into a receptacle containing a solvent or absorbent substance or material and in utilizing the low temperature resulting from the conversion of the gas from its liquid to its gaseous form within the receptacle, to cool the said receptacle and its contents to a temperature considerably below normal.

7. A method of storing gases under pressure, consisting in connecting a receptacle in which the gas is to be stored to an accumulator chamber containing a solvent or absorbent substanceor material, supplying said chamber with the 'gas and subjecting it to a temperature considerably below normal.

8. A method of storing gases under pressure, consisting in cooling the gas to a temperature considerably below normal and in extracting or removing from the gas impurities or components of higher boiling point prior to the entry of the gas into its4 storage receptacle.

In witness whereof, I herewith affix my signature.

ARTHUR STEPHENSON.

Correctinnlnletters PatentNo.1,v230,531.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,230,531, granted June 19, 1917, upon the application of ArthurStephenson, of Lambeth, England, for an improvement in "Storing of Gases Under Pressure, errors appear in tho printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 120, for the word "separators" read separator S; same page, line 128, for the word receptable read receptacle; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed end seaed this 4th diy of September, A. D? 1917.

4R. WHITEHEAD, Acting Gomnsond' of Patents.

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